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Sonnets to a Wife 

By Ernest McGaffey 




Saint Louis 
^tVilliam Marion Reedy 

1905 



LIBRARY of G0N6R£SS 
Two Copies Received 

NOV 17 1905 

-, Copyright Entry . 

CLASS. CL XXc. No. 

COPY B. 









n 



14-64 



jf^e 



r 




Binding by Becktold &? Company 
Saint Louis 



CopyrigKtecl 1905 
By ERNEST McGAFFEY 



For Cecile 



Foreword 
^ I 'RUE poetry needs not to be explained. It goes 
*^ direct from poet's to reader's Leart. TLe seventy- 
sonnets in tkis li^le book Lave tliis quality oi 
clearness and directness. They are easily understanded 
or tne people and yet tLey kave a cliann as well even 
for tne literary gourmet. Tkey are always simple. 
They are always s^veet, and yet we cannot say that 
tney are too much sugar d. 

Our poet surely does not "tear a passion to tatters 
m his song, and wnile we may acknowledge that tne 
sonnet form is one that forbids aoandonment to nne 
frenzies, being m its nature repressive of exuoerances, 
it must DC clear to any reader of this sequence tnat its 
underlying note is tkat of a passion of exalted reserve. 
Tke love kere expressed is of tkat reticently strong sort 
wkick ckaracteri2es tke Anglo-Saxon. Tke passion is 
strong and ^ee^: it is never spectacular: it is not fantas- 
tic, w^kimsical. Tkis poet aims not to make an effect 
soely, to turn tke raptures and sorrows, tke kopes 
and fears, tke wistfulness of kis spirit into startling 



FOREWORD 



copy. He writes as one fulfilled of reverence before 
tte great toon and mystery of a woman s love. The 
impression lie gives us is of tne sanctity of a relationship 
in which, nevertheless, there is full recognition of the 
element other than spiritual which must go to the mak- 
ing of a perfect marriage. Here are hlenaea the charm 
of Phyllis, Phryne anci Penelope, the grosser passion, of 
which so much modern writing is ohsessed, heing, ho^v- 
ever, left in the ohscurity to which modern reserve has 
relegated it as something taken for granted, heautiful m 
its essence, hut soiled and spoiled hy hemg made famil- 
iar to the many. 

Mr. McGaffey makes his sonnets a continuous hymn 
of the heautiful in Nature, and or that heauty, with its 
suhtle, pervading sense of pathetic impermanence, as in- 
terpreting and interpreted hy the sane and sacred love 
het'ween a man and a 'woman. The clean atmosphere 
of the open world is m every sonnet. All the airs of 
heaven hlo'w pureness ahout these lovers. AiVe have no 
trace of contemporary materialistic vie^ws of love, no 
insistence upon the fascination of a rampant, savage, 
physically clamorous muliehrity. The spiritual signifi- 



FOREWORD 



cance of tke great Nature, of wkich nusband ana wife 
and tkeir love for one anotlier are a part, is always 
strongly suggested and tnis witnout cant either of 
orthodoxy or of tlie dolorous minor poet always la- 
menting tlie inevitable, immitigaWe loss of himself to the 
world. Tkere is no negation kere. Every line repu- 
diates "tke spirit wkicli denies." ike joy of living, 
tke pleasure of remembrance, tke kope tkat faces tke fu- 
ture, tke conndence — not too confident, kowevei — tkat 
"""tkere is a kuddmg morro"w m midnigkt — all tkese 
tkings are proclaimed witk an exultancy tkat is unfail- 
ingly serene. Emotion and intellect are finely karmon- 
ized. Tkere are m tkese sonnets no signs of mere play- 
ing witk tke former or undue pride m tke exkikition of 
tke lafter as mere cleverness. Tke poet is sincere witk 
kimself , and yet tke strain of kappmess is so frankly in- 
sistent tkat ke cannot truly ke called, in tke ordinary 
sense of tke term, serious. He is deliciously un- 
didactic. 

A ckaracteristic of tkis trikute to woman, under tke 
form of a glorification of tke one woman, wkick will 
not ke lost to tke fine senses of tkose wko, wkile appre- 



FOREWORD 



ciatmg tke tanality anJ atsurdity of recent superlative 
manifestations or feminism, nevertheless realize tne 
enormity of tlie crime wnicn civilization has committed 
against "tlie sex" m regarding it as ■wholly secondary to 
tke masculine element, is tne fact that, throughout this 
work, tke wife is al>;vays treated as tne companion of 
tke kuskanJ. Ratker let us say, m tke good, warm 
sense, tkis poet s wife is kis "ckum." Ske is a -woman 
wko sees and kears and feels tke gladness of eartk and 
air and sky. Ske is a woman of tke open air. Ske 
knows tke trees, tke kirds, tke signs of tke ckangmg 
seasons. No Eigkteentk Century skepkerdess ske, kut 
a modern American woman, enjoying suck freedom as 
only tke American ^voman knows. Ske is tke central 
figure m an eminently kealtkful picture of life, and it is 
tkis fullness of kealtk wkick keeps tke sonnets clear of 
all morkidness. True, we kave kmts, no-w and again, 
of tke immanence of deatk — tkat skadow upon all tke 
joy of tke world wkick, somekow, seems nevertkeless 
to give to joy its uttermost poignancy — kut tke fact is 
accepted. Tke poet nor -wkimpers nor wkines. He 
faces kis fate. He kas kis love, and all tkis world 



FOREWORD 



'wkich that love glorines, and love is^ in its higkest 
form, botk nope and raitn. 

As to the technique or these sonnets, it were iJle 
to maintain tliat it is faultless. Mr. McGaffey almost 
prides himself upon nis assertion of a large ignorance of 
grammar and rnetoric. It is, tnerefore, well to say 
tkat, considering suck self-confessed limitation, and 
considering also, tnat tne sonnet is ^"'a dimcult and cloy- 
ing form of verse,^ and that the form is necessarily a 
rigid restriction upon tnougnt and reeling, tnis perform- 
ance is almost miraculously artistic. There are few 
literary allusions, because the substance or the work 
comes straignt from tne heart and from Nature, and 
not from books. It is felt, not echoed from other 
poets. Defective sonnets there are m tnis sequence, 
but tke very defects, generally speaking, give the work 
a warmth, a color, a spontaneity which might have been 
ufterly lost through too much concern with the abstrusi- 
ties of syntax and prosody. It is easier to criticise 
these sonnets than to write sonnets that will compare 
with them. The poet is greater than the form to 
which he submits himself. His lyricism asserts itself 



FOREWORD 



triumpliantly always, and orten in so doing it bursts 
tke tonds of tlie Torm tkat is too compressed lor it. 

Here, tken, are these "Sonnets to a Wiie. 1 key 
are sweet and clean and strong. 1 hey arc the glorm- 
cation or Avomanlmess as, taken all m all, tne nnest 
tiling m tkis, the only world we kno"w. 1 ney honor 
goodness. Tney breatne tenderness and courage and a 
pantkeistic piety, Tney are tne nappy mean between 
the ascetic and tne sensual apprenension of lire. They 
are the ufterance or a sane passion ror a good woman 
by a poet 'wno is also a good man. Tney may not ap- 
peal to tne taste that invariably prefers "Madam 
Bovary" to "Tne v icar of >Vakeiield," but they will 
toucn tenderly, and not tne less surely, tne nearts of all 
tnose who feel and knoAv tnat true love is something 
more than a blind, bodily instinct or desire that we 
nave m common with the beasts that perish. 

vC^if/f'am f^arion Reedy. 



Sonnets to a VC^ife 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Life at its Best 

Lire at its oest is but a troublecl sea; 

Tke snip IS launcneJ with sno^v3r-spreacllng sail 

To race tLe reers, the tillo-ws and tte gale, 
A.na meet the perils that are yet to be. 
Tke skore ske left raJes dimly in tke lee 

And on tke keack tke forms and faces fail; 

Come ^vkat come may, or ram or sun or kail 
Tke skip glides on, tke manner is free. 

But Ak! wkat joy wken kackward o'er tke foam 

From stress of storms and far, unfriendly lands, 

rxeld m tke kollow of tke sky s vast dome 

To mark at last tke "well-rememkered sands; 

To know once more tke karkor of a kome 

And welcome of a woman's outstretcked kands. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



The vvooing 

Not witk tke tkougkts or others Jo I seek 
To wake your interest and kola it fast; 
Not witk a fancy from tke kuried past 

Some koneyed fragment of tke ancient Greek, 

Have I essayed m kaltmg form to speak. 

But I kave all suck cunning out\vara cast 
And trusted to tke Saxon -words at last 

To ligkt your eyes — put color in your ckeek. 

Tke simplest speeck is truest; wken I say 

"I love you! m tkose tkree words I kave said 

All tkat I know, or compass, or can feel. 

Let tkose wko will, adopt tke tortuous way 

Tke -wkile tkeir tkougkt m speeck oDscure is led 

R.ound, round and round, a wkeel -witkm a ^vkeel. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



In the Fields 

A^nen on the hills the golden sunlight lies. 

And apple-trees are neavy witn tne snow 
Or drirtea bloom that snades tne grass below, 

Wkile far above are realms or cloudless skies ; 

MVnen overheaa the wandering swallow flies 
Ana bu^iernies in loops or color go ; 
Xhen, as "we wait togetner, do I know 

Some touch, some nint, some gleam or Paradise. 

ihe sweet song-sparrow from the poplar sings 

1 ne swaying leaves put rortn their emerald shields. 

Each trembling blossom where tne barred bee clings 
Its store or sweets through drowsy nours yields ; 

What sense or lire, what joy tnat almost stings, 
^A' ith you and I tliere loitering m the nelds. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Jealousy 

If to be jealous is to tope to gain 

Your every longing — make all other men 

As misty to your memory as wnen 
Tke sllaclo^vs slip across a window-pane ; 
If to te jealous is to wisn to reign 

Your one true lover, cnide me once again ; 

Call me as jealous as Otnello tnen 
A-nJ all your chiding will be given m vam. 

For I am one wko cannot hide my tkougnt 

And curb my tongue and make my cheek a liar ; 

Tke tissues ox my nature was not ■wrougkt 
Or lifeless clay, devoid or Pagan nre. 

And long m storm and anguisk kave I sougkt 

And now kave round, at last, my Heart's Desire. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Books 

Tomes from cliill mincls I oftentimes nave read 
And disquisitions of tke great and wise. 
And sougkt to learn tlie secrets of tke skies 

On wintry nigkts witk starry scripture spread; 

Tkrougk lakyrintkian passage kave I sped 

Of romance and of deeds of kigk emprise. 
But notking found compared to your dear eyes 

Nor poems like to wkat your lips kave said. 

To read a woman in tke kigker sense 

Is quite keyond tke power of men's w^it ; 

AVko says ke does is made of vain pretense. 
And never can ky wisdom kenent. 

Her look is more tkan spoken eloquence — 
Her voice tke sweetest lyric ever w^rit. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Love v^fthout jPassion 

Love witnout passion is a flower without sun, 

Rert or tne w^na s toucn, banisnecl from the ram 
Wrought against nature — tnererore wrought in vain 

However fine its tissue may te spun; 

Its petals raae and wi^ther one by one 

And in the dust ana under dust are lain; 
Love without passion is tke dying strain 

From shattered lutes tkat all to minors run. 

True love is as tke rose; tke roses glow 

Witk lire and color m tke summer air. 

ike winds or Autumn tkrougk tke garden klow, 
Tke leaves are scaftered and tke vines are kare, 

Tke snow^s depart, tke grass springs up, and lo! 
Again tke ruddy rose is klooming tkere. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



On the Hills 

When in tne valley -v^^nere tne nver ran 

And sunlight ripplea on its current fair, 
AA' hile shaao"wea vistas or Autumnal air 

Re-ecnoed -witn the dying notes of Pan: 

vvhen twilight s herald came m night s dusk van, 
\Vhile sank the sun in "western splendor there, 
>^nat joy for you and me all this to share 

Mid wooded glades and chords ^olian. 

And in the hush that followed as we saw 
The arter-glo"w dye deep the ^valting slopes, 

>Aniile hrooding silence hushed the somhre rills. 
Then fell upon our hearts a happy awe 

And light and shade of mingled fears and hopes, 
Star'Signalled on the ramparts or the hills. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Gods, idols, xeticnes or wood and stone 
Or carven ivory and or beaten orass, 
Tney rise and rail, tney nourish and they pass. 

Or stand disngured in some desert lone; 

Creeds come and go and on tne sands are stro'wn 
And wither like tne -wmter-sliaken grass. 
And all sucn things are skadows on a glass 

To this one love wnicn I for you Lave known. 

For in my pagan Leart I kold you dear 
More tnan a miser might nis store or gold. 

Or snip-"wrecked tar tne rescuing sail unfurled. 
In my religion you are worskip kere 
Beyond all gods or temples manifold, 

Xke sole and only woman in tke world. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Recollections 

Xo conjure up old memories; to say, 

"Do you remember that m such a June, 
A.n orchard oriole sang us a tune 

Melodiously from out a trancning spray 

Or leary aenseness; or on suck a day 

^^e saw tne silver spectre or tke moon 
Long after da^wn, and nearing unto noon, 

A merest "wraitn or sickle gaunt and grey?" 

Xnese are love s echoes, faintly heard and fine 
But ever-present, never dim nor mute. 
That you and I in comradeship do snare; 
S^veet symphonies tnat breatne a sense divme 
Like misty cnords tkat linger ty a lute. 

Though all tne silver strings are sha^ered there. 



10 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



W, 



omen 



Of suck a woman it may "well be said 

Slie nas a graceful carriage; or is fair; 

And of anotker ske kas golaen kair 
AnJ praise tke poise ana keauty of ker kead; 
Some women may ke ^vlfty and ^vell read 

Ana some may ckarm ky tkroats and kosoms kare. 

AU are Eve's daugkters, all ker power skare 
To conquer man and lead kim ky a tkread. 

But more tkan seeming grace or outward sign 
Of loveliness tkat like a flower is seen. 
Is -wkat ske keeps skrined sacred and apart; 
Some glo'w of soul like sparkle in tke -wine 

Some skado'wy look, like Autumn pool serene, 
Tke reflex of tke pureness of ker keart. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 11 



Ideals 

Not rnapsoaies for what we cannot reach 

Nor longing for wnat lies beyona our power. 
But fust to make life lovely as a flower 

By gift of tenderness in thought ana speecn; 

Thus ram ana dew tneir loving lessons teacn 

In lace-Kke gleam or sudden-Jropping snower 
A.na so snail we, througn every passing hour, 

riola fast to higner visions., each for eacn. 

Fidelity and courtesy; and touck 

Of hopefulness to meet the coming years. 
And strength to view tne days tnat tack-ward roll,- 
Xnese will I give you, and m pledging such 

Cast off the skado-ws of all crowding fears. 
And act a man's part truly, heart and soul. 



12 SONNETS TO A WIFE' 



In Idle Hours 

In idle Lours to backwara look and see 

Tke tracery or wind across tLe grass. 

To mark the clouds tkat float m snowy mass 

Witk myriad mmy pennants flowing free; 

To kear a robin m tke maple tree, 

A.nd see tke pool s reflection like a glass 
Wkere ligkt and skade alternate come and pass, 

Witk muffled mellow murmurings oi tke kee: 

Tkis IS to drink or nature^s krimming cup 

In woodland nooks or slumkerous solitude, 

Wkere summer kolds a golden keaker up 

And all tke eartk ky keauty's self is wooed; 

Do you rememker wkere tke dead leaf fell, 
Tke violet s klue, tke empty acorn skell? 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 13 



A?, 



one 



Tne num of many voices rises near 

And from tke road comes Jin of carriage-wLeels; 
Beyond are sails tLat draw tke outbound keels 
Wnicn northward from the sLimmering Larbor steer; 
And tkere are myriads of strange faces kere 

Smootn brows tkat kappy ckildkood's kour reveals. 
And wrinkled ckeeks wkere care kas stamped kis seals 
And wandering crowds ky sea-wall and ky pier. 

And we keneatk tke cloudless summer sky 

See all tkis gatkering pass us m a stream. 
Nor note tke ligkts tkat on tke w^ater gleam 

Nor wkite-wmged gulls tkat seaward dip and fly; 
^^e are alone — tke rest is kut a dream 

In skadow-land we linger, you and I. 



14 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



M^ 



US1C 



A TvinJ-song in tlie ruslics, or a sigh 

From Autumn's chorus in the naked trees, 
Tke white-stolea chanting or the stately seas 

Against a line of cliffs tnat tower nigh — 

A plover's rippling whistle in tne sky 

Or wailing oi tne flutes m minor keys: 
I m my time have narkecl to all or these 

And reeciy plasn or waters lisping ty. 

But Ok! kow karsn suck ckords must ever seem 
Since in my keart I kear an ecko come 

More sweet ana low tkan plaint or mourning-dove; 
ike reflex or tke note tkat is my dream, 
Xkat music wkick makes otker music dumk 
1 ke voice or tke one woman wkom I love. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 15 



A VIZomans VIZorJd 

The man sne loves; ana all ne means to ner 
Is "wnat a woman s world is; m ner way 
Or living ana or loving Jay by day 

Sometimes ner dreaming eyes 'will ml and olur 

And memories or him will come to stir 

Her heart-strings; as a blossom s self might s^way 
A^nen througn the scented, xlo"wery paths or May 

Drift Jown tke eclioes or the winds that were. 

Tke liAle tkmgs are what she treasures most; 
Sweet, suLtle courtesies or nandand speech. 
For tLese tke lover's a^itude still teack 
Be^er tkan costly girt or idle koast; 

As one -wko reckons, not witkout kis kost, 
HolJing ker near and dear, yet out or reack. 



16 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



By S^oonliglit 

In skaJow-nauntea nusn or lonely place 

Witk ripples lapping ty tke reeJy snores. 
And glint or stars along tlie watery floors 

I see again tne profile ox your face; 

Tke moonligkt trailed across your wrist like lace 
iken disappeared kekma its cloudy doors, 
>iVkile we sat loly, 'witk tke lale oars 

1 wixt eartk and sky, as kalancmg m space. 

How strange ana keautirul to us it seemed. 
Held in tke koUow oi tke nigkt to float, 
NVitk mumea liquid wkisperings round tke koat 

Wkile overkead tke constellations dreamed; 

Dome xamt-keard rustle from tke distant sands 

And silence kroodmg o^er our closc'locked kands. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 17 



Comjffanionsm^ 

Tne sense or comraaesnip ■wnicn now -we reel 

Grew slowly as an oak does, ana as strong. 

For no^w to one another -we belong 
In all that makes a man ana woman leal; 
Our lives are Imkea as nrm as welded steel 

A.nd m our thoughts sweet harmonies do throng. 

Like hall-remembered ecLoes or a song 
As days and nights aLove our patLway wkeel. 

So do the perfume and tke joy or days 

Live "witn us and tne season s s"way dispute. 

Spring, Summer, Autumn, tliey may go tkcir ways 
And bring nor 1>ud nor Llossom an it suit; 

Yet Avnat reck -we, beside the "wmtry nre 

Sluing alone, I and my rieart^s Desire? 



18 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



A:part 

31eaK, tifter Lours, "wnen separate we kne-w 

Days wJien the sun sank glo^ving in the west, 
A.nd quietly tne shadows onward pressed 

Until tke twiligkt Llo^ed out tlie blue. 

Tke first laint stars came slowly to tlie view 

A.nd nome-'Dound birds new silent to tneir nest, 
^iVnile swiit as ligkt our tkougLts in eager quest 

Pierced outward, yours to me and mine to you. 

Now in the years when we togetner dream 

1 hose days apart nave lost tneir somore look; 
Mere dog-eared pages or Time s well-tkumted book 

And not to us belonging do they seem. 

Tkus fate at last katk offered full amends 

And made those lovers who were once tut friends. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 19 



A^^le Trees 

First to our signt tneir brancnes brown ana bare 
Stood nakea m the days or early spring, 
VVnere naply shoAvea tne Drilliant azure wing 

Or some conceited jay-bird roaming there; 

A.na tnen came May, and all tne waiting air 

\Vas white -with aamty olossoms quivering 

>^ith korJes or tees tLat gatkereci tliere to cling, 

A.na all those noneyea sweets to claim ana share. 

But test or all was m tke Jays or June, 

^^V^nen thick and full tke canopy or leaves 
Put back the sun witn sneltering emerald eaves. 

And noused us rrom the fervent lignt of noon; 

How happily we told there m tke shade 

Of dreams of one another, unafraid. 



20 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



R 



eserve 



Some men proclaim tteir love and let it go 
In pitiful wild words tnat all may see. 
How tLey kave signed, or Lended low tne knee. 

God s ^vill be done; I "was not rasnioned so; 

I know wLiat utter love, is and I know 

WLat tkis our lire togetker kolds for me, 
Gut keep it sacred, as not meant to oe 

Flung gossip-ward, to tne four winds tnat blow. 

I marvel at tnose singers wno aspire 

To lay tneir souls bare to the rabble tnrong; 
For you my lips nave trembled into song 

And you sball judge if I lack augnt of fire. 

If that my heart-beats bave not rung like cbimes 
Witbin tbe ecboing transept of tbese rbymes. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 21 



Vaniti/ 

To DC as cnarmmg in your liusl>an<l*s sight 

As erst you were "when Le your lover came. 
Go linger by tne mirror s polished frame 

And put all weariness to u^er £ligkt; 

Come with a smile and let your eyes be briglit. 
Be gay, he sad, tut never he the same; 
And thus your lover you may al^vays claim 

Else lost mayhap by koldmg kim too ligLt. 

An tnis be vanity — to add a rose 

To glow upon your bosom, train your Lair 
So in bis eyes you may be passing fair — 

^iVby, let it stand; a woman better knows 

Tbat careless bands and sloven taste in dress 
May mar tbe spell of ber own loveliness. 



22 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



In tJie ^^oods 

Deep m the glimmering aeptns or wooas to -wait 

AA' here countless leaves •with every oreeze unrola^ 
To ^vatcll the sunsnine weave its tlireaci or gold 

AA^here tree trunks stand m tall alignment straignt; 

1 o hear tne uicker cnallenging his mate 

>iVitli chattering note, rar-piercmg clear and bold, 
A.nd mark noAv dimly m the forest old 

The lignts and snado^vs softly palpitate; 

And tLere, skut closely from tLe outer world 
To lie on some green slope and idly dream. 

Touch hands, and smile, wbile over us unfurled 
Tne leafy banners of tLe noontide gleam — 

That was to find tke Ponce de Leon spring 

Of youtn, and Lope, and blossoms burgeoning. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 23 



9oU 

TLcre is a gold unlockeJ by miser s key 

And gold is found in lees or sparlding wine. 
And tliere is gold along tke swaying vine 

^iVTiere yellow talf-Llown roses drooping oe; 

Gold and to spare among the sands at sea 

And palest gold in saffron stars tLat skme; 
And gold deep'digged from many a hidden mine 

And golden leaves upon tke willow tree. 

But all tkis aureate glitter is for naugLt 

Wken I in dreamful mood my love kekold. 
Crowned witk ker tangled locks of tawny gold 

Like corn-silk in tke kreeze^s meskes caugkt. 

Wone otker gold may matck it^ none so fair 
As tkat wkick gatkers in a w^oman s kair. 



24 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



To My Wife 

I as an actor. Lave played well my part. 

Not skowing Low tke sons or men I scorn; 
TLose sLriveleJ, greeJy souls wLo crave tLe corn 

TLe oil and wine, tLe treasures or tLe mart; 

Deep in my soul I Lum tLe name for Art 
As one wLo was a lyric poet Lorn, 
As one wLo leads a singer^s Lope forlorn 

Yet witL unsLrinking and unconquered Leart. 

I can exist on wLat a Spartan can; 

Endure as granite; smile -wLen friends ao fail; 

Face Poverty, and see tLe years grow stale 
Or Lide my time witL any sort of man. 

Full in tLe teetL of Fate I fling tLe glove — 

Come age, come deatL, wLile I Lave you my love! 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 25 



5f vi^otnan s Love 

Ir I nave fought my baser sell and raised 
My tnougnts to nigli ideals, it is due 
To ttis tke love tkat I kave round in you 

As I m your dear eyes Lave longing gazed. 

^^nen I look back I nnd myselr amazed 

At wkat I "was; wkat mire I floundered tlirougk. 
So far I -wandered from the pure and true 

A^liile all my good intentions fitful blazed. 

A man is naif a savage, and lie needs 

Ine -woman s presence to arouse his soul. 

Her love has given tLe -world Lis noblest deeds, 

Sne IS tne liglit tnat -warns him from tlie skoal — 

The reefs — the rocks — -wnere fell destruction leads 
And dark engumng -waters silent roll. 



26 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Mid. 



summer 



Tke reJ-winged Wack-tir J wkistlecl from tlie reeds 
TLe cat'tail stalks rose thickly straigLt ana tall. 
By meaaow-slopes ran^ sweet a carnival 

Or l)ol>olinks down-fluttering on the meads; 

From ritton-grass and downy road-side -weeds 
Fine powdered particles or dust "would rail. 
And wnere tne sun snone, through an old stone 
wall 

Danced in its lignt a mynad ox seeds. 

Xnen came a husn m Nature — one tnat fell 

Like shadows on tne leaves, so sort it seemed. 

Or like that pause -which follows wLen a tell 

Peals, and is silent; and we sat and dreamed, 
NVnile all around tne -waters -wove tLeir spell 
And far aLove tke cloudless azure gleamed. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 27 



Sisterhood 

All women born are sisters; lew or nign. 

Good, tad, indifferent or Low you name 
Your silk-beruffled and most Laugkty dame 
"WTiose gilded carriage rumtles slowly ty. 
Your drunken courtesan witk Lair awry. 

Barred, marred and scarred Ly Lranding irons or 

sLame. 
Lo! in tLeir cLildLood tLey were all tLe same. 
And Lave no false distinctions w^Len tLey die. 

OL! sisters, to your owti sex most unkind. 

How will it fare you wLen you waste your LreatL 
And sink like LuLLles in tLe sea of DeatL, 
If to your sisters you were deaf and blind? 

R.ememLer His forgiveness, wLicL sumced 
For Magdalen, wLo wasLed tLe feet of CLrist! 



28 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



^Crater-Lilies 

'We rowed tlie toat among tkem as ttey lay 

Pale lilies, snowy and witk kearts of gold, 
Tkat sprang from under deptks oi oozy mould 
And starred tke waters of a Summer day; 
And I rememker after, tkat in play 

You wound tkem round your f orekead fold on fold. 
And feigned you were a Naiad, sky and cold 
Or water-sprite, or mocking w^oodland fay. 

Yet an you were a Naiad, tkis I know 

Tkat you were courted ky tke amorous sun, 
Wko kissed your creamy lilies one ky one 

Till tkey kad drooped keneatk kis fervent glow; 
But ere tkey -witkered in tke twiligkt tkere 
Tkey left tkeir gold kearts tangled in your kair. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 29 



Love s Philosophy 

ri. rock stands harmless from a lime rain 

But many storms ■will wear its strengtk away; 
An J tnus in lire wnen men and women say 

Tnose biiier woras wnicn hasten strife and pain. 

And still repeat tul nope of peace is vain; 

Lo! as the nour-glass sands divide tke day 

So tnese small things have parted tliem for aye. 

And Love tnrough sucn harsk means itself katL slain. 

A venomed adder is the numan tongue 

'WTien tipped witLi anger, be it eitLer sex; 
And -who when stirred witk controversy, recks 

How deep or keen tne cruel words Lave stung? 
Curb tnen the lips and emulate tke dove. 
Lest "wounding one whose life is m your love. 



30 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



JLO the VC^oman 

Xo lead, not drive nim, is tne wiser plan 

For tactrulness will tame him all tke years, 
A.nd tenderness, not tyranny lie fears. 

For men were ever tut a stuttom clan; 

And long ago since first tke world Legan 

And stars rose dimly in tke primal spkeres, 
A little wit, diplomacy, and tears. — 

>Vliat havoc Lave tLey wrougLt witk every man! 

So shall you conquer, as tne gentle rain, 
Sootking his vanity to gain your ends. 
Moulding his wiskes till tkey meet your own; 

1 kus as a ckild kis confidence you gain 

For still to flaftery kis keart unkends, — 
Only a ckild, a li^le larger grown. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 31 



To tJie J^an 

\{ you a -woman would desire to nola 

Faittful and true, and guided by your will. 
Be sure no art, nor flafterys fine skill 

SKall e er deceive Ler, nor w^ill gilts or gold; 

By love alone Ler spirit is controlled, 
Tkis is lier law, Ler Deity, until 
Tte liglit falls pale upon ker f oreLead still 

TLe red lips asLen, and tke keart grown cold. 

So skall you woo lier if you -wish to win 

Her teart and soul, to wear Ler like a flower 

To drain ker kisses, and keep kack ker tears; 

Filling witk love tke space ske lingers in; 

Making ker dream of you eack passing kour 

'Witk u^er longing tkrougk tke iron years. 



32 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



M 



oming 



Tke kilJee's cry along the sandy shore 

Tke pme-tops m the distance, and a still 
Far sense of Lroodmg on eacli wooded hill; 

Tke fallen trunk or a huge sycamore 

Around wLose roots tlie river s waters pour. 
And everywhere a subtle da-wning tnrill 
That grows, and spreads, and palpitates until 

TLe red sun peeps above tke eastern door. 

MVkat joy to stand above our vantage ground 
Geneatk tke skade ox overkanging beeck; 

To drink in every ckord oi sylvan sound 

Learning tke lessons tkat tke woods can teack; 

Our kearts and souls by syinpatky tkus bound 

And kappy more in tkougkt and less in speeck! 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 33 



^wo Loves 

It, loving you, I sometimes seem as sad 

Or dull, or tinged witk Lint of soter mood. 

It IS because I leel my lire rene^wed 
Having your love; and still my treasures add 
A.S misers do; and what ox woe Fve nad 

No more witL its gaunt sKadows may intrude; 

Tkus silence nils the nappy interlude 
Wkile I sit wordless, worshiping, and glad. 

A toy's love and a man's love intertwined 
I give to you to govern all tKe time, 
^A/^ketlier it run to reason or to rhyme. 

Tlie passion and the purity combined; 

TLe man s love, strong to £glit and work and plan, 
Tke koy's, to wake tke lover in tke man. 



34 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



On a Country Road 

A Tvliitened lengtli oi grayisb Just tliat leaJs 

Past a rougk briclge wnere grape-vines icUy trail; 

From clistant woods tne -wnistle of a quail 
Anci bufterflies tLat flit above tne weeds. 
Horizonward a Uuisn naze recedes 

And flaunts a sno^ivy cloud'sLape like a sail; 

Xke scent ox stra^vDerrles along a swale 
Gomes pungently to anyone wno needs. 

Ho"w slo"wly and now joyous passed tnat day, 
Tke wayside roses clunbing m a throng ; 

Tke rar-brougnt odor or tne new-mown nay 
Xke ckemes dangling as we rode along; 

And ckeering us along the nomeward way 

TLe sweet-wrought flutings or the room's song! 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 35 



Re-incamatron 

Tke flower you gatliered^ UossomeJ long ago 

^iVarmecl ty past sunskine, jeweled with the rain 
Of tygone years; tke river s liquid strain 

^^kick now you kear, w^as once tke purling flow 

Of a lost stream; tke very winds tkat klow 

Have come anci gone, will come and ^o again; 
And wkere tke primal grass kas decked tke plain 

Year after year tke later grasses grow. 

And tkus witk every line tkat lovers trace; 

However dear, or passionate tke word, 
Tke self-same tkougkt, in a dead kosom stirred 

Has krougkt tke roses to some woman's face; 
And all tke worskip tkat my rkyming krings 
Is kut an ecko of forgo^en tkings. 



36 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Analysis 

To \veigli as in a nnely balancea scale 

Eacli tLouglit and action tkat tke season brings. 
Is tut to fret tke spirit "witn tkose tkings 

WLick after all are of tke least avail. 

It is cnougk to kno^v we skall not fail 
In all tke s\veet and kigk imaginings, 
Tke nokler tkougkts "wkick lend to Love kis "wings 

Tkougk Time and Fate and even Deatk assail. 

Analysis is common, and may seem 

Tkrougk instances, conclusive as tke leaf 

Borne to tke Ark ky tke returning dove; 

But oftentimes may prove to ke a tkeme 

"W^kick sends tke worm of jealousy and grief 
To kligkt tke klossom of a perfect love. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 37 



Tact 

A woman^s crowning glory is Ler tact. 

The art or knowing wnen and "wnat to say; 

^AHien to be grave, inJifferent, or gay. 
And seem so cnarming m her every act 
That, as a magnet, she 'will men a^ract 

And easily compel tkem to ker sway. 

So shall she rule, or golden nair or gray. 
The suDtlest type ox womanhood m fact. 

For tact IS more than teauty, more tkan -wit^ 
Akin to genius, and tne sum or all 

Which makes the -woman wko is Llessed witL it 
A Queen by ngnt, m novel or m Lall; 

Sweet as the honeyed lines ty poet w^rit ? 

And true as rings tke wild-tird s madrigal. 



38 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



In Idleness 

To lie upon tne ^rass and watcn tne neras 
Oeep standing in tne river i, and to see 
Tke barred golcl glisten on tne bumble-Dee 

And note tbe noisy gossip or the birds; 

To mark tbe blue borizon-rim tbat girds 
Tbat purple world beyond. Infinity — 
Under tbe sbade or a wild-cberry tree 

To "wait and listenv bampered not by words. 

Tbis was our gladness on a long June day 

Companioned by tbe lazy lapse or bours, 

A^bile ebbed tbe slow, encbanted time away 

Wbere bird-songs came, uke intermi^ient sbowers. 

And drowsy sweet upon us wbere we lay, 
Tbe perfume of tbe elderberry flowers. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 39 



A Burden of Vain VC^isJies 

A Lurden or vain "wishes: topes tnat diiecl 

V ague dreams or fame and "wraitns or orave renown 
Pass m the sunlight, motes that vanisn aown 

Beyond me, standing on this old nill-side. 

And disappear in circling vistas wide 

Like Autumn leaves tnat scaler, "worn and trown 
AkVnen Summer lays aside her tapered cro"wn. 

And sombre winds and rusted fields aLide. 

A turden of vain wiskes! Nay, not so! 

Your nand-clasp is my naven and my kope. 
Your love and f aitn the utmost gross and scope 

Of dreams and fact — tnis at tne last I kno^w. 

Here, waiting wliile tke sunset's after-glow 

Burns like a torcL in valley and on slope. 



40 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



yvisdi 



om 



There is a culture deeper far than books 

And intellect teyond tke ken of sckools; 
>iVise sayings sometimes on tke lips of fools 

And knowledge stored m many quiet nooks. 

A woman is as cultured as ske looks, 

(Speaks, acts, and smiles, and merely kookisk rules 
Ske well may scorn as being clumsy tools 

W^itk w^kick dull fiskers file tkeir rusty kooks. 

Tkis intellect tkat sckolars prattle of 

\Vky, wkat does it accomplisk? Every age 

Has witnessed tkrougk tke perfidy of Love 

How woman skows tke folly of tke sage. 

Nay! tken. Sir Oracle, reserve tky wit 

Some woman's eyes skall give tkee need of it. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 41 



Lost Days 

Tne tapestry or skadows — gliosts of Jreams 

Tnat uickerea tnrougn tke silence and were ^one. 
Lost days that "we to^etner leaned upon 

Have faded, and tke recollection seems 

As dim as sunken starligkt m tke streams, 

Wken on a Summer nigkt reflections wan 

From cloudy keigkts to watery deptks are drawn, 

LO glimmer m tke current^s under-gleams. 

Lost days, kut ckerisked; mirrored in a kaze 

Ox tkreadkare seasons, ^^mter. Autumn, Spring, 

And Summer "witk ker moss-kegirdled 'ways 
And nask and nutter or a kird^s sort wing; 

But wko skall pierce tke lakyrintkian maze 

To tell us wkere tkeir skades are wandering? 



42 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



E 



vening 



The tree-toad's call irom oranclies dead and green. 
And from the grass a cricket's rasping cry; 
An artei^lovir across tke Eastern sky 

R.ed as a far-flung fire-trand's ruddy skeen; 

The lapping of s"wirt ripples skot ketween 
Old logs tkat rigid m tke current lie, 
Tke skado'w or our koat tkat passes ky 

Akove kro\vn sands tkat dimly now are seen. 

Tkis was to float witk silence and tke nigkt 

vJave tkrougk tke mesk of twiligkt like a strand; 

To note tke twisting of tke kat's weird fligkt 
And glint of nre-flies on tke skelvmg sand. 

To ke removed from eartkly essence quite 

Two skadows drifting into skadow-land. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 43 



Youth 

A.ge is not always given -witli gray kair 

Nor youtk encompasseoi m tne re^west years; 
Since doubt and pain witL tneir attendant tears 

Are dauntless etcners or the lines or care; 

Youtk is most present in tke joys we skare 
As swift or slow tke season disappears, — 
Tke verve, tke gladness wkick puts ky all rears, 

Tke kopes we nourisk and tke smiles we wear. 

I tkink of you as alw^ays kemg young 

Untoucked ky Sorrow and un-worn ky Time, 
Springes klossoms opening in your tender smile; 
Like ker of wkom tke elder Bards kave sung, 
Ckanting ker praise in many a nokle rkyme — 
Like Cleopatra ky Egyptian Nile. 



44 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Tapestry 

In tlie deep twilignt -wnen my random tliouglit 

^Ar eaves m the silence and surrounding shade 
Wets or odd lancies, glittering like brocade. 

Or somLre \voox of darker musings trougkt; 

Tken liave the hours "witn mystery still rrauglit 
Full on tne wall a motley texture laid, 
^kVitkin tLe loom or darkness spun and made 

In divers Lues together firmly wrougnt. 

And all tke warp oi this "weird spinning seems 
Forever old and yet forever new; 

Witli rusted spots and sudden golden gleams 
A subtle Llending of the false and true; 

Tke dull threads nintmg of my wasted dreams 
The Bright ones telling of my love for you. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 45 



mmaci 



^iVe climbed tne slops above tlie valley's edge; 

Benind, tne country road, a riDOon lay 

Or powdery dust down-winding dim and gray; 

A tird sang s^weetly from a tkomy Ledge 
And ripples circled m the nver sedge, 

^A^Lile trown Octoter dozed tne nours away; 

And north-ward and beyond the mllside clay 
Tke clustering sumach £amed along a ledge. 

Tke lire or ruddy Autumn filled its veins 

Deep-glo-wTug masses glinting m the sun, 

R.edder than the -wild- strawberry, where it stains 

Tne woodland -ways mid ugnt and shado-w spun; 

A gorgeous dream, a color-draught divine. 

Spilled on tke golden afternoon like wine. 



46 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Love-Letters 

Let tne li^lit uame consume tnem and Le done 

>Vnile their cLarred fragments in tke emters lie, 
Tne old, sweet record or tne days gone ty. 

R.ead tnem and burn tnem, lingering, one by one; 

The swirt montns gatker and tke seasons run 

Witk none to tell us or tke wken or wky; 
Let tkem as askes vanisk in tke sky. 

Since tkis our courtskip kas kut just kegun. 

Befter to miss tkem wken we parted ke 

Tkan tkrougk some fault or lapsing of tke years. 
To kave tkem made a target for tke sneers 

Or jest, or scorn, of Curiosity; 

For tkere are tkose wko tear suck tkings apart 
To feast and mumkle on a kuman keart. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 47 



Spring 

Tne sleet drives snarply on tne winao^v-panes 
A.na naked trees uke scaflolds aarkly stand; 
Xne iron gfrasp or winter on tne land 

Locks nelds and streams in gli^enng icy cnams; 

Tne nortn-wmd -wails m keen Polaric strains 
Ajaa dead leaves dance a gnostly saraband. 
While cloud-fleets dim, ty snapes fantastic manned 

Sail -westward where tne sunset coldly -wanes. 

But ty tne blaze or our red-glowing grate 

We see beyond tke armored line ox eaves. 
And mark tlie flashing or a flicker's -wing; 

A.nd violets m the blue flames seem to wait. 

While shining througn a mist ox emerald leaves. 

Beckons and laughs the s-weet, rresk face of Spring. 



48 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



The Fh'gJit of Time 

Tke fligkt OT Time will tnrougn tne cycles •wing 
Ancl one age rollow on anotner^s patn; 
Tke leaves of May w^ill feel November's wrath 

And January olossom into Spring; 

And side ky side we, onward ^wandering, 

Skall learn tke lesson tkat eack season katk, 
Tke kud and skard, tke glow and aitermatk 

Tke kopes tkat vanisk and tke dreams tkat cling. 

A day is like a swallow's skadow cast 

On sleeping waters; lor an instant tkere 
Etcked ky tke restless pinion m mid-air. 

Vague and elusive as tke neeting past; 

So let us cleave to gladness m our day 

Wkile Time, tkat miser, koards tke years away. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 49 



Late Violets 

Fast-niaden m Octooer's grassy s^vales 

Late violets lay; we round tkem, you ana I, 
>Ar nile gusty winas unbridled galloped oy 

Ajia smoky Inaian-sumnier mled the vales; 

A.na vtrhen the grass dividea m the gales 

Tkey glinted there like bits or Autumn sky, 
Xnen disappeared, as sylvan rairies shy 

Wnen clamor rude their close retreat assails. 

Late violets; blue as deep-sea aeptLs unstirred, 

TLey nestled there, and neard tke pulse or eartn 
Reverberate witbm its nollow girth 

Like to a giant ecbo, raint and blurred; 

And far beyond tke sweep of ^A^mter s wmg 
We saw tbeir paler sisters of tbe Spring. 



50 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Autumn Reveries 

Along the slopes tne laaing stubbles shoxv 

And m tne wooas a purple vapor swims, 
>Vnile niCKory-nuts from tke wmcl-sliaken limLs 

Drop aown ana nestle in the leaves below; 

The sumach burns with ever-deepening glow 
And snadows lurk about the shallow rims 
Or silent pools; while eastward slowly dims 

The penciled flight ox a departing crow. 

And you and I here on this russet hill 

Drink deep the heaker or Autumnal wine 

ITeld to our lips, and reel the nameless thrill 

That ehhs and flows in changing shade and skine; 

The hreeze is dead; the trees are rapt and stiU 
As pilgrims kneeling at a desert shrine. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 51 



Rosemary 

Rosemary for rememDrance — may tnis be 

A leaf wkere treasured happiness is sealea 
Unknown to otkers; wkick to us will yield 

(Our memory tke magic opening key) 

A fragrant scent of tke lost Jays set free 
A music to our listening ears revealed; 
As a rougk sLell, tkat sometimes koUs concealed 

Tke mystic murmurous secret of tke sea. 

For sometking to tke wri^en line belongs 

Beyond tke word tkat's u^ered; tkrougk tke pen 
Tkis verse, maykap, skall come to live again 

And take its place among remembered songs; 

Wken you and I, and all our love and trust 
Are blended into long-forgoften dust. 



52 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



D 



awn 



TLe grey dawn floocled m tne lonely room 

Tkat mourned your aLsence; on tte western "wall 
TLe sallow sliafts or sunbeams struck., to fall 

As sadly as ttey would across a tomb; 

A skadow in tke corner was a plume 

Tkat nigkt liad dropped from oS ner saole pall; 
A tkomy rose stood leafless in the Kail, 

Your going tkus Lad rol)l>ed it of its tloom. 

Tke very pictures were aware of tnis 

As silver-stoled and silent slowly came 
Tke first reluctant messengers of Dawn; 

Of all you arc and all you are to miss 

Byron seemed speaking from kis oval frame. 

And Greek Aspasia "wkispered, ^*^ske is goneP 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 53 



N, 



oon 



Tke took I liold witkin my idle clasp 

Is closed, and sealed, for augkt I care indeed; 

My mind Las now no leisure hour to read 
No tale of love, nor old romance to grasp; 
My ttouglits tang skattered, as a broken kasp 

And touck of kands not Fancy's touck I need; 

For since you left my keart kegins to kleed 
AiVkere Memory kas pierced it like an asp. 

To love you and to lose you for a day 
A loss irreparable to me it seems — 

Tke sting of Fate, tke worm tkat never dies. 
I cannot live to kave you long a\vay 
And see, alas! as only in my dreams, 
Tke ligkt of recognition in your eyes. 



54 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



KLiglit 

AA^nat snaaows troop across tne xaaing floor 

^A' nat nusn floats ever as the sliaao"ws turn! 
Like asnes brooding in a sullen urn 
Mocking the shacies or tliose who went oeiore. 
My tkoughts lie keavy, and I dream no more 
But ever for your aosent race I yearn; 
And grudgingly my somLre lesson learn 
Or waiting for your footstep at the door. 

Maynap my wisn is semsh; just to see 

Your nand m mine; to kno-w that you are here 
Close, with tne lyrics of your tears or smiles; 
I cannot say what this will mean to me 

Nor all the ways m which I hold you dear, 
Across this void of unrelenting miles. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 55 



Anniversary 

Tnis IS tnat day ot aays 'when, long ago. 
We stood together by an ancient man 
A.nd neard him drone about the Scriptural plan 

Whicn plignted men and women here belo^v; 

And westward burned the Autumn afterglow 
Vv nile scarlet vines across tne brancnes ran. 
And flying leaves, a russet caravan 

Fled down tne vales m rustling overflow. 

I scarcely recollect tLe spoken words. 

Nor care I for the ceremony vain 
Wbicbi said, forsooth, tbat God nad made us one. 

Since Love had mated us as mate tne birds — 
And on the "windows was the West s bright stain 

Tne parting benediction of tne sun. 



56 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Ha^^iness 

Not to te Lappy in our own conceit 

Of faitk, and trutL, and well-rememDered days 

In breezy woods and empty, pastoral ways, 
Wkere tlie trown "waves of leaves Autumnal beat; 
But more to wisb tbat otner souls may meet 

And find tbeir comrades m tnis eartbly maze; 

Tbat men and women, like to us, will gaze, 
Eacli in eacb otber's eyes and nnd lire s"weet. 

Wben you and I togetber silent -wait 

Not only do tbese tbougbts or Tbee and Me, 

ICnock at our bearts, as at an inner gate. 

But tbrougb tbe wonder and tbe mystery. 

Deep in our dreams we pray a kindly rate; 
For lovers past, and lovers yet to be. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 57 



In jDays to Come 

In days to come, when we are old and gray- 
Bent witn the years and disciplined Ly Time, 
Xremtung and reeLle we "will scan tkis rkyme 

^iVhose light for us nas almost dimmed away, 

A.nd haply tnen remember, ii we may. 

Some sweet suggestion or our youtn sublime. 
Some keen reminder wLick like kruised tkyme 

Skall kring tke memory or our Summer day. 

Tkere is no life kut loving; naugkt kut Youtk 

Xo make love perfect; wken tke rose-leaves fall 

Tke perfume witkers, wkile tke kirds are dumk. 
And tkus indeed I could in very trutk 

Pray tkat we kotk migkt early yield tkis tkrall. 
And so lose Winter in tke days to come. 



58 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Hero- ^Worsni^ 

To every man some doting woman lends 
A kalo of encLantment; in Ler eyes 
He is most notle, loving, trave and wise; 

Tkis worskip like \o incense piire ascends 

And witk ker dreams in painted glamour klends 
Like rainkow melting in tke ^vestem skies; 
His ligktest word is sometking dear to prize 

His ckance caress for sorrow full amends. 

Ok, mystery! tkat woman cannot see 

Her o"wn superiority to man, 
Wkick soars on kigk like eagle's w^ing akove— 
Just as it was, kas keen, w^ill ever ke. 

Because ordained ky God's primeval plan. 
Her greater faitk, fidelity and love. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 59 



VC^aHing 

To picture you wlien tar apart from me, 

Xo guess hoMv you might occupy the day; 
V^etker tlie moments slowly glide away 
And if tke kours or swiit or tedious ke; 

And never from tkis patient vigil free. 

But like a statue in tke sculptor s clay 
Musing and krooding, or as Moslems pray, 

Stretcking my kands tkrougk silence out to tkee. 

Tkere is so liftle time. Love, after all. 

To walk togetker; suck a liftle wkile 

Before our lives will melt as in a kreatk; 

How soon, alas, tke leaves of April fall! 

How^ muck I miss tke joyance of your smile. 
And waiting seems tke kii^rness of deatk. 



60 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



D 



reams 



Not always liave we prudent sowed tne seed 
Oi tkougkts prosaic, as to wisely reap, 
Tke less impassioned memories tnat keep 

Our lives more commonplace m word and deed; 

For Fancy sometimes Wows upon ner reed 
And Romance dimly rises, nalr-asleep, 
\Vnile over neart and oram and spirit S"weep 

Faint cnords, like "wings from mystic cages freed. 

Eitlier a song ox gladness or or tears 

In sunshine rippling or on sliadow cast, 

Tnus to our ears tnis mocking music seems; 

Something to listen tor tkrougk flying years 

Rapt eckoes or tke future or tke past, 

Tke respite and tke recompense of dreams. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 61 



Affinity 

The sparks fly always upward, and my soul 

Spreads wings to meet yours, as its one true mate, 
Wnetner the paths oe Llossom-crowned or strait 

WLetner m gladness or m Difter dole; 

No voice but yours can soothe me, or control. 
No words save yours my ways illuminate; 
I am content to lollow, lead or wait. 

My eyes flxed ever on the distant goal. 

Not oak and vine are we, but lovers twain 
^^no race the world together side by side. 
And so sliall bide until our latest breatli; 
In storm or shine, m burning sun or rain 

Tkrougk lire's long ways in comradeship allied. 
Not to te parted Ly tne Lands or deatk. 



62 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Laughter 

The toucn of mirtn still cnerisn, as is oest, 

Laugliter, "witn lips slow-spreaamg to a smile; 

>Ar hat were tnis v/orlo. witnout tne quip ana \vile 
X he cap ana bells, tne old time-nonored jest? 
Welcome tne coming, speed tne departing guest; 

And still witn merriment tne "way beguile. 

A lime joy snail last the longest while. 
Be gay, look up, te merry witK tLe rest. 

For mark tne limpid quiobles oi the streams. 

The joyousness tnat sunshine scatters far. 

The crooning exultation of the sea! 

Befter te glad witL careless Jolin-a-Dreams 

Tnan linger -wnere the sooer sages are 

And lose the wiser sense of jollity. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 63 



Sanctuary 

As from tke toil and turmoil or tne world 
I come to bring good fortune or defeat. 
And once again your loving eyes to meet, 

Tken droops tke rest, like a lone banner furled 

By idle winds; for all my tkougkts are -wkirled 
Toward you, like a cloud of swallows fleet; 
And all tke cares tkat follo-w at my feet 

Like wraitks against tke darkness back are kurled. 

Home is wkere love is, and no doubt can pierce 
Tkat inner space wkere you and I ao dwell. 
Nor cast a lurking skadow on its floor; 
However beats tke tide beyond us fierce 
However prowls, v/itk ululating yell, 
Tke ever-w^atckful wolf beside tke door. 



64 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



In the Beech vC^oods 

Broad screens, wcucn sliut tke Jawnlight irom tne eartn 
Or emerala leaves dense woven tnick across; 
Ana under toot -were strips or velvet moss 

1 nat sloped around tke teeck-tree's mighty girth. 

No Dird-song breaking into suaaen mirtn 
But silence, and a sadness xor sucn loss, 
>iVitn here and there a shred or sunlight s gloss 

To lighten up the forest s flowerlcss dearth. 

Do must the Eden garden once have stood 

When A.dam and his hride went on their way: 

No hirds nor flowers m the pleasant wood 
But somhre aisles, and solemn spaces gray. 
Do you rememher how we found it there? 
A green cathedral, ghostly-still and hare! 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 65 



Contentment 

To ^lean the fielcis or lire and take tke grain 

Vv itn thorns or poppies as tke goJs decree; 
To lightly jest at W^inter's wratk and see 

Flowers in frost upon tke window-pane; 

To kuild our airy castle-walls m Spain, 
However kare tke near surroundings ke — 
Tkis is tke secret of content; tke key 

AA' kick men kave given all tke world to gam. 

We find it wkere tke sun and skadows meet 
In sylvan spaces cloistered from tke town, 

"Wkere vague, yet clear, its presence may ke seen; 
It rustles m tke dead leaves at our feet 
It catckes at tke ruffle of your gown, 

A.nd keckons on witk kappy eyes serene. 



SONNETS TO A WIFE 



borrow 



Tke saving grace of sorrow has been ours 

So that tnis present happiness is s^veet; 

Yea! Joutly so, since long ago our feet 
^A' ere pierced oy tnorns, and seldom toucned oy ilo"wers; 
Past sadness with a rarer joy endoAvers 

1 hese days in wnicn our pulses nigher beat; 

Like olossoms 'wnicn uplift, tne sun to greet 
Alter tne stress or sudden cnilling snowers. 

Fire tempers steel; and tnus the test or pam 

Snail make souls steadfast, and tne true heart strong 
And bring tranquility from stormy years; 
Life s bi^er lessons are not learned m vain 
And rightly runs tne burden of the song, 

"They ligntest laugn w^no kne^v tne toucli of tears/' 



SONNETSTOAWIFE 67 



In V^7nter Paths 

The tumoled arirts like nxed and irozen seas 
Are Dulowed up around us, all m wnite, 
1 ne swirling winds on leatless oranches smite 

A.na round about the trunks or naked trees 

Flit restlessly tne Dlack-capped cnickadees; 

Shy Lits oi grey, in trier and silent flignt; 
The ^woods are blacker tnan at dead or nigfnt 

And under icy shields tke waters freeze. 

But yonder was a spray where on a time 
The room sang; in tnat lone reach remote 
V^ild violets gatnered, tluer than tne sea; 
Nor snail tnis deartn banisn tne water s rnyme 
The green or the grass, the blue-Dird s April note, 
Wnile side by side you wander nere witn me. 



68 SONNETS TO A WIFE 



Steadfastness 

AiVe will not dreacl tlie future nor tlie past. 

Tkere is enough to live for day by day. 

Time and to spare for either work or play 
And tke long slumker coming at tne last; 
Goci and Eternity are mucn too vast 

To fret us wkile we linger by tne way. 

Sometimes ^ve shall be sad, and sometimes gay. 
But keart witk keart, and kand m kand stand fast. 

Let otkers seek tke solace of tke skrine 
Under tke gilded and mscripted dome 

Tkat skuts from sigkt tke far klue keavens akove; 
For us tke essence of tke true divme, 

Tke kuman joys tkat touck and sweeten kome — 
And tkat denied tke angels — w^kick is Love. 



SONNETSTOAWIFE €9 



Pictures 

TLere nave oeen pictures that were reckoned rair 
In ancient times by cunning painters "wrougnt. 
Ana far across the tides or ocean brougnt 

To nang at last like jewels old and rare 

In stately nails; but none tnat ■would compare 
To some one woman, oy the Graces taugkt, 
Witn roses at Ler Losom, perlxime-frauglit 

A.nd motes or golden sunlignt in ner nair. 

Time picks tne crumoling canvas into shreds 
Till, dust at lengtli it sinks m tke abyss. 

And "With tne "winds m errant circle Llows; 
But ere Fate comes to snip tke tigktened tkreads 
TLere is no picture wKicli is like to tkis — 
The one fair woman — at ker kreast a rose. 



70 SONNETSTOAWIFE 



Ohadi 



ows 



If we are naugkt tut skaclows, as they say. 
Seen triefly as a sunset wnile we pass. 
If life is tinkling cymtals — sounding brass — 

And love a dream tkat quickly fades away — 

Fate may not rob us; w^e Kave had our day; 

Have beard tbe music and bave drained our glass; 
And if we are to perisb as tbe grass 

Deatb cannot quencb tbe spark wbicb lit our clay. 

For Love beyond all else is vestal name 
Tbat burns forever, constant as is 1 ime 

Steadfast and brigbt as is tbe Nortbern star; 
And wben, like mist, we vanisb as "we came, 
Maybap our passion sball imbue tbis rbyme 
^Vitb life for otbers, sbadows tbougb we are. 



J^otes. 



/\otes 

The twentietli sonnet of tKe sequence as it appeared in ttc first 
edition is an emendation by tKe author. As the sonnets appeared 
serially in the St. Louis Mirror, the twentieth w^as as follows: 



At the VC^inclow 

A measure of slow musing, and a dream 

Of other days that to her heart has sped; 
A yard below where grasses thickly spread 

Lie out like velvet in the sunlight* s gleam; 

Blue-dappled skies with clouds as wan as cream. 
And in the streets, a wandering, noisy thread 
Of w^heels and voices, down and outward led. 

That ripples past the window in a stream. 

But now a footstep echoes up the street 

And drops the thimble from her finger there. 

The quickened pulses of the day swift beat 
And sunshine nestles in her tawny hair; 

He looks above, as hoping not in vain— 

Her face appears, a flower at the pane. 



In the first, 1901, edition tte ttirty-fiftK sonnet was as follows: 



SeJfisfi 



ness 



I want no child to take one jot from me 

Of this, your love; no helpless clinging hands 
To hold their place as strong as iron hands. 

rd lock your heart and throw away the key. 

As now you are, so I would have you he 

Till from Life's glass should fall the latest sands; 
Till on the hearth the ultimate dull hrands 

Fade out, and leave us to Eternity. 

I know the children's power; and I know 

Your soul would flower and hlossom to a child; 

And loving you, I would not have it so 

Lest I of my sole treasure "were heguiled; 

To learn that hiiler lesson, late in life, ( 

How^ far a mother loves heyond a wife. 



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